Through The Fire And Flames
by JackieLanternXOXO
Summary: Have you ever wondered about the Monster High characters' pasts? Go back to seventh grade, where Frankie wasn't thought of yet, where everyone is still finding themselves, and where it all started... Co-written with CreativeWritingSoul. Rated T.


**Hey guys! I know I'm supposed to be working on my other story, but me and CreativeWritingSoul HAD to write this. We hope you enjoy! :)**

* * *

Grace Amelia Bloodgood wasn't just another name in the community. Hers was a well-known name amongst the whole town. She witnessed many generations of young monsters graduate and on their road to success from Monster High. Being a principal, she always joked to others that she had about 500+ children. They truly felt like her own, because she cared so much. She didn't just clock in, care a limited amount, go home and after clocking out not care anymore.

This Headless Headmistress cared about _every_ single ghoul and monster that exited and entered her school with everything she had and then some. There was nothing but passion inside when it came to her career. She wouldn't trade it for all the gold in the world. This was her dream career.

It was dusk outside, dinner for some... waking time for others. She'd have to be at work soon if this were a weeknight... but it was a weekend evening actually, so for now she was home. She didn't mind being home but preferred not to be alone, now Grace had no other choice.

In this home she shared many memories. Some a little too painful to remember right now and others just quaint and fond. Whenever she was left alone with her thoughts, they hurt her more often than not. The phone ringing broke the silence hanging in the air, which she almost scrambled to get to at top speed. "Hello, Grace speaking." She greeted casually. "Oh! Oh, hello Mr. Bominable, how are you?"

She winced slightly at the raised tone of voice echoing in her ear. She pulled the phone away slightly from her ear to restore her hearing. This was one very upset father.

"Oh you know, ghouls just want to have fun." She tried to smooth it over, but it didn't work as well as she had hoped. A raven-colored lock of hair fell in front of her face, which she tossed to the side - bringing up a soft hand to brush it back. Listening intently.

Shifting position slightly, she spoke once more. "Well of course studies are very important. Oh, you've... already done that? Um, no! No problem, I'm flattered you trust me so much with fruit from your loins, so to speak. Yes, I will do my best to fix... the erm, situation at hand. Have a great night. Ciao."

She tried to take in everything that was tossed at her all in one conversation. But she'd need a good few minutes. Time that she thought she had, until there was a knock at her front door. Cautiously raising an eyebrow, she proceeded towards the door carefully. Glancing out the peephole, she saw a frigid young female, soft snowflakes falling from her body, she held big amounts of luggage.

She opened the door right away, "Hello there, ironic. I was just having a chat with your father." Grace smiled apologetically, hoping this young ghoul would adapt fairly quick, but she'd just have to wait and see.

**~ ) * ( M - H ) * ( ~ **

Four thousand and twelve year old Jackie Lantern hugged her books close to her chest as she walked out of class, keeping the tears from flooding her cheeks. With blurry vision, she headed towards the lunchroom. Maybe she was a bit too young to be in a relationship, but that didn't stop her from trying. Jackie sat down at an empty table. Whoever was to cross her path she would give them pain.

Jackie didn't care about getting suspended. She was a princess whose parents were loaded with cash. Suspension was the least of her worries. Someone sat down across from her. Looking up, she saw it was the class clown, Heath Burns. Narrowing her eyes, she spoke up. "What do _you_ want?"

"To help." He stated quickly.

Help? So far, him just sitting there was making things worse in her eyes.

Furrowing her eyebrows, Jackie crossed her arms. "Nothing anyone can do will help. In fact, if you happen to like unlife, I would suggest you leave this table. _Now._" Not just her tone was intimidating, but her actions were cold as well. Normal monsters would walk away and leave her be in her own little world of fury.

But Heath just laughed, only making the ghoul more angry. "Hey, no need to lash out at me. I thought you were the princess, not the executioner?"

"Oh, when I get my hands on you..."she growled under her breath, but then paused. "wait, you actually know that I'm a princess?"

"Yup. Kinda hard not to know when you screamed across the hallway to Holt." He told her, refreshing her memory on what happened earlier that day although she had no idea he was one of the many who witnessed the scene play out.

Jackie shook her head in response, some loose hairs falling in front of her face. She wisped them away with elegance.

_'She's a princess so,' _Heath thought to himself as he observed her actions. _'she probably farts elegantly too.'_ He mused in his mind, doing his best to hide the smirk threatening to surface on his face.

"Well, it's not my fault he decided that he didn't like our relationship. Do you think it's too early to be dating at this age?" She asked him abruptly, resting her chin upon her hand, exhaling sharply. "Maybe he's just not mature enough."

Heath shrugged. "It depends. If they're really hot, it's totally worth it. But, if they're ugly inside and out, no. Just, no." He wanted to give her a better answer, so here went nothing. "And yeah but that's pretty much every guy at this age, y'know? We're not exactly set for manhood at the moment, in a few years maybe - but some guys only have a steady relationship with their skateboards... but I mean, I still stand by my motto, 'If she's hot, I know I got a shot'." He grinned slowly, feeling satisfied with his answer and noting it seemed to have helped an angry Princess calm down a little.

Jackie smirked, admiring her nails. "Sounds like someone's a player."

He gave his eyes a roll, avoiding the comment altogether. "That's a great way to make friends. Insult them."

The ageless girl looked up. "I wouldn't know. I was raised not to really have any."

"What do you mean?"

"All I've ever really had were fake friends. You know, the ones that are from other kingdoms that I'm forced to get along with."

"I'm following you," Heath said, taking a sip of his soda. As Jackie went to speak, Heath belched out loud and set the remainder of his refreshment on fire. "Damn it."

The emergency sprinklers went off as Jackie busted out laughing. Blushing and now sopping wet, Heath shrugged. He wasn't one to get embarrassed easily, he shrugged most everything off and smiled. No use getting upset about things he couldn't control.

After their conjoined laughter slowed, she turned to him and before she could really think about her question - she blurted it out. "Hey, what class do you have next? Art's next for me."

He nodded, "I'm going to Art, too. Hey, maybe after school, did you wanna hang out with me?"

"Sure," Jackie said, smiling. She was positive she just found a _real_ friend.

** ~ ) * ( M - H ) * ( ~ **

When you found a new friend, the most appropriate thing to do next was bring them home. At least that's what Heath decided to do. He was very close to both his mother and father - being an only child did that to him he supposed. Walking up to the charming two-story home, he and Jackie stood on the wooden front porch. A two-seater swing sat there, the occasional breeze swaying it gently. Heath fiddled with his front door key and soon they were in. "I'm pretty sure my folks are home tonight, if not they will be soon." He told his new friend, who smiled softly.

Upon entrance they stepped into a modernized kitchen, a shoe mat by the door where Heath took his sneakers off, his socked feet hitting the hardwood. He hung up his coat and set his backpack down near it, heading further into the home where passing a quaint dining room, was clearly the living room. A big-screen television, multiple gaming consoles and various matching furniture all accompanied by cozy carpeted floors. Glancing off to the side, a staircase lead upstairs and one lead downstairs in the same area.

Noticing she was looking around, Heath shrugged his shoulders. A sweet blush hitting his cheeks. "I know it ain't much Jackie, but it's what I call home."

Jackie smirked. "Well, it's very nice," she said setting her backpack next to his, "Trust me, if I say so, you don't need to blush about it. You live in an amazing home." This made him turn a shade redder.

"Thanks." He shrugged it off, but couldn't shake the blush for some reason.

"So, um, what do you wanna do now? Homework, video games, eat . . . anything like that?" She wasn't familiar with the whole friend thing and how to entertain them. This was so new to her, she could hardly take it all in. Seeing a peer's family dwelling, maybe meeting their parents - it was sort of overwhelming, but also pretty cool at the same time. She was nervous, but the good kind.

"I think homework would be a good idea." He decided, not really sure his ego could handle being crushed today. And by a girl too.

"Are you just saying that because I have good grades?" She asked, a knowing half-smile upon her face. She had a very pretty face too.

"No, I just have a lot of homework." He didn't want to give off a nerdy vibe or anything, but sometimes it took him well into the morning hours to finish all his homework - maybe having a study buddy would be a good thing?

"Me, too," Jackie said, taking out a bunch of pencils and paper out of her backpack. "Let's start on math. It's one of the easier ones. What are the questions again?"

Heath opened the math book to page 156 and said, "We have to do one through six. It's easy, though, all we're learning is proportions."

"Cool beans. So, what's your family like?" She asked, just dropping that bomb of a question. It was natural for her to be curious, just as curious as Heath was about her thought about it for a moment, because there were so many things he could tell her about his parents - but he'd just start with the basics for now. "Well, my mom is a fire elemental and my dad... he's a human. Y'know, like... normie."

She gave a nod. It wasn't a disapproving one, or an overly eager approval - just acknowledging the facts that were given. "That explains your appearance. My dad's a fire elemental. My mom's a plant monster. What came out of that? A jack o' lantern. I'm the only one of my kind." She said it proudly, having all the materials for homework out and ready, but the two of them were just chatting for now.

He gave a bit of a sigh, "Sounds like we both have complicated families."

"Yeah... so, are you ready to work on proportions?"

Heath didn't mean to make a quick change of topic, or to hint that it was time for one - he just wasn't sure where to start. "I suppose. So, what did you catch of the lesson?"

She shifted her gaze at him, a knowing one.

"Yeah okay, you busted me. I was totally staring at the ghoul a couple desks up from me all class and missed whatever we're supposed to do now. I admitted it, there." He revealed, his arms crossed over his chest - a suave smile on his face. He did it effortlessly every single time.

Jackie's thin lips curved into a smile. "I'm afraid to know exactly what you were staring at."

Heath's jaw dropped at the accusation. "You think I'm staring at your breasts? Honestly Jackie, what kinda guy do you think I am?" He gasped dramatically, causing them to both laugh after awhile. "A typical guy I guess, but I mean - I wasn't. Just for the record. But don't think it's one way, boobs can stare at eyes too y'know."

They giggled a bit, not much math homework getting done in the meantime. Both silenced when the front door opened, they had a clear view of the front door from the dining table where they had their homework and text books spread out. A tall, slender man opened the front door. He had deep red hair, brown eyes and a light skin tone. Chiseled features and a slight muscular build. Jackie had a good feeling this was his dad, because he hadn't mentioned any siblings or anything.

A taller woman appeared behind him, a curvier build with an hourglass figure. Her honey blond hair was tied up into a swift, sporty ponytail and it trailed down to her mid-back. Despite her hands being full, she set groceries on the floor and tackled her husband in a feisty manner, pressing her lips to his - running her manicured hands through his soft blushed heavily as he turned to Jackie, there was no hiding this blush. "They're very... uh, about P-D-A as you can tell." he cleared his throat to notify his parents he wasn't the only one home.

They pulled apart semi-quickly, glancing past Heath and seeing a pleasant new face they hadn't seen before. "Oh! You have a friend here, that's great." his mother approached the dining table right away. "Hi, I'm Skyler - Heath's mommy." She introduced herself to Jackie, "Mi casa, su casa. What's mine is yours while you're here darling. Don't be afraid to make yourself at home. We won't bite, unless you request it." She gave a playful wink as Heath groaned lightly.

"Thanks mom."

"¡Excellente! My full and proper name is Princess Jackie Octiva Lantern of... erm, Halloween."

Skyler raised an eyebrow, "You speak Spanish? That's awesome! Spanish was one of my specialties in school. I'm a little rusty though." But then she realized what Jackie had said. "Halloween huh? It seems rather... bland - not in a bad way!" She shifted her position in one of the dining chairs across from Heath and Jackie. "But I mean, with us converting from regular normie world to... y'know, this world and way of living - it just seems normal haha." She shrugged her shoulders, "So, you're an actual Princess huh? Sometimes Heath can act like one, when he sees a spider mostly."

"Mother!"

"What? She's gonna find out eventually son." She smiled, knowing poor Heath would rather bury his head under sand at the moment. But he'd get over it, he always did.

Jackie glanced at Heath, then focused her attention back on Skyler. "I'm currently learning Spanish right now! But, um, yeah, the holiday of Halloween was originally invented to celebrate my birth. Until all that changed. I'd rather not talk about it. Let's just say it involves a sleeping curse and a bit of immortality."

Making the best of what she could tell was a bit of a negative topic, she replied softly. "Well, us fire elementals - we aren't completely immortal. There's many things that can factor in our own demise. Not being soaked with water or anything, that doesn't overly matter. We can still go swimming. It's just things such as, a harsh temperature change or cold climate where we just, slowly lose our strength and sometimes, if cold enough - our own lives. But we won't get into all that technical stuff. My husband over here, that man has a sleeping curse all his own." Heath blushed heavily as he turned to Jackie, there was no hiding this blush. "They're very... uh, about P-D-A as you can tell." he cleared his throat to notify his parents he wasn't the only one home.

Isaac narrowed his eyes at his wife but continued to put away the groceries.

"He's a little shy at first, but don't worry sweet pea - he'll come around. Did you get shown around? How about dinner, would it be okay if we fed you tonight?" Skyler was a very hospitable person - she could make anyone and everyone feel welcome in her presence alone.

Jackie nodded. "I can eat here though, no problem with that." Staying for a dinner not served at her house sounded so interesting. She then waved his dad's supposed shyness off, "It won't take long for him to get to know me. I admit to being a bit of an open book at times. And, anyways, I totally understand, I got the element of fire and that from my father. He's a fire elemental too, y'know," Jackie shifted her gaze to Heath. "It's just a bit more... controlled."

Heath nodded, even he wasn't really sure what he was capable of with this whole fire elemental ordeal. But he knew that complications would come along with him growing so - it was to be expected. Or... so he'd been told.

Skyler smiled softly, her features were stunningly beautiful. It was no-wonder that Heath himself was a good looking boy - especially when both parents were as well. "That's fascinating. There are no two fire elementals that are the same. Sorta like snowflakes. We're all different but that's a great thing." She glanced from Heath to Jackie, "It makes the whole process of getting to know someone - so fascinating."

"True, but, um, I'm not exactly a fire elemental, I'm a jack-o-lantern, a crossbreed between my fire elemental father and my plant monster mother. I wonder how it all worked out... I suppose that's why they show you the video towards the end of the year about that stuff."

Skyler giggled, "Of course, videos in school were never all that fun but I don't know - they could be since I graduated years ago." She got up from her seat, "I suppose I'll leave you two to do your homework and talk about whatever you'd like. I'll be in the kitchen if you need me." She didn't want to make herself unwelcome amongst Heath and his friend, but he wasn't too finicky like that - he loved his parents and if his friends didn't - oh well.

Heath turned to his new friend and shrugged lightly, "Well, that's my mom." He rubbed the back of his neck nervously, waiting to see what Jackie had to say about her."She's really nice! You're really lucky to get to see your mom all the time. Ever since kindergarten, I only get to see my parents one month out of the whole year. To only make things worse, Geni, that's my guardian, isn't helpful at all. She acts more like a stranger than... a real parent."

Without thinking, Heath placed his hand on Jackie's arm, she could feel the warmth through his palm. "That sucks... but what doesn't suck is that you're here and not... y'know, wherever else you'd be right now. So, how about we put this homework away and get to the real good stuff?"

She blinked, waiting for a response.

"Video games, duh!" He was very enthusiastic about his video games, ultimately - he was the best at them in his own opinion.

"Oooh, what shall we play? Do you have Super Mario Bros.? Does that even exist anymore?" Jackie wasn't one who had much knowledge to technology - she was more of a paper and pencil kind of ghoul.

Heath couldn't control his urge to hug her, "I am so glad we decided to become friends, because you... are one clawsome ghoul!" He couldn't have been more ecstatic to ditch his homework and play one of the most classic games of all time - with a friend. He never had the opportunity much growing up - being an only child and all. "I've never really had anyone to play a video game with - other than mom and dad. But I'm totally open to the option."

Didn't take long for the two of them to pack up their stuff and head into the living room for an evening of enjoyment and befriending to the fullest.


End file.
